Paul had been to South Dakota before, but I had not and it was an amazing experience! What a beautiful state with so much patriotism, natural beauty and iconic landmarks - a mix of really cool things all near each other in western South Dakota! We stayed at Custer State Park for 9 nights and it was magnificent - a perfect location in one of the nicest state parks we've been in.
When we last posted, we left the Airstream International Rally before sunrise to make the 7+ hour trek to Custer. We arrived and settled in our campsite and that evening, went into the town of Custer (just 10 minutes from our campsite) for a delicious dinner and a stroll through this charming place. We have had the great pleasure to experience many charming western towns on our adventures this summer and Custer is a fabulous example of a town offering so much to visitors and maintaining its character and charm.
This was a huge chair! It was fun (not) to climb out!
The next morning, we visited the Custer State Park Visitor Center for an orientation of the park (they also have a great movie narrated by Kevin Costner of Dances with Wolves fame). It is known for abundant wildlife, especially buffalo, and we pulled up to the parking lot at Custer and lo and behold we saw mountain goats next to the parking lot. There are multiple hikes and things to see, along with lots of lodges and places to eat - which is a bit unusual for a state park. The highlight for us were the 3 scenic drives they have and we did all three - the Wildlife loop, the Needles Highway, and the Iron Mountain Road - more on that below. After the Visitor Center, we went on the Wildlife Loop and enjoyed two hikes and saw lots of wildlife - how perfect!
Mountain goats next to the Visitor Center parking lot - the staff inside that this was not common, so we really lucked out.
Beautiful mesas and prairies throughout this scenic loop.
The Bison Center is a great area which explains their annual Buffalo roundup and how they manage the 1,500 buffalo who reside in the park each year - they vaccinate all and auction many off and they outline the criteria - really interesting. They need to keep the population at 1,500 or less as there are so many resources in the park for them to live off of. Funny enough, we really didn't see many buffalo on this day.
At the Bison Center - hard to see in this photo, but the corrals for the roundup are behind me.
There is one section of the loop that has wild burros and they come right up to the cars and are in the road - as you can imagine, it created quite a "wildlife" jam.
We took a hike through a prairie and the views were lovely.
During our hike, we encountered a huge flock of wild turkeys - adults and teenagers!
We also saw a few pronghorn antelopes along the loop.
As luck would have it, our friends Tracy and Chuck (who we camped next to in Minot) were also in this area for 5 of the days we were there (not planned), so we got together a few times to explore the area. They were in a different campground (there are tons of them in this area), but only 15-20 minutes away. On our second day, the four of us visited the Badlands National Park (about 90 minutes away) - which is close to Wall Drug and the Minuteman Missile Silos (not active now). It was a great day - we had perfect weather and had a blast! The Badlands NP was spectacular.
First stop - Wall Drug - what a wild place - having some fun!
You know you're in South Dakota when abundant wildlife is on display at the iconic drug store!
The place is huge - takes up most of a block and it's super fun to walk around.
Right down the street from Wall Drug - the elusive Jackelope!
We then headed to Badlands - so fun!
The views were breathtaking - we stopped in multiple places to check everything out and explore.
The weather was perfect and the colors were amazing.
After the Badlands - in very close proximity is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site - what a fascinating visitor center
I thought this saying captured quite simply and accurately what it must have been like to work at one of these sites.
We arrived at the center about a half hour before they closed. As we were leaving, we had a nice chat with the ranger volunteers at the desk and he offered to take us to the missile site and show us around (us and a few other cars). It irked him that the tour offerings were so limited - it was so kind of him to do this and we thoroughly enjoyed this extra view and perspective, as he used to work at one of the sites when active.
The next day, Paul and I drove the Needles Highway and did a strenuous and completely worth it hike - the Cathedral Spires. This drive was just as beautiful as the Wildlife loop, but so different! It amazed us how big this state park is and how diverse the land is.
The Needles is a narrow and winding road that has 3 narrow one-way tunnels that we traversed through - it was really cool.
These are Needles - long cylindrical rock formations that reach to the sky.
The Cathedral spires hike was strenuous, steep and totally worth it!
The views were awesome
This was at the end of the trail where we turned around and went back to the truck!
As we were walking back, we noticed some climbers on the spires - wow!
Paul was able to zoom in and really capture them as they were ascending.
At the top!
After the hike, we continued on the Needles highway and stopped for a few scenic views.
Can you see the next tunnel opening?
At the top of the Needles highway is Sylvan Lake - a beautiful part of the state park that offers a nice place to have lunch as well as a scenic hike around the lake.
There is a rock alley you go through as you walk behind the lake during this hike - so pretty!
That evening, we met up with Tracy and Chuck and went to Mt. Rushmore - my first time. Each evening during the summer season, they have a ranger program in their amphitheater and it was so amazing, Paul and I went again a few nights later. The program starts when it is dark (this time of year- 8pm). A ranger comes to the stage and speaks about the four presidents who are part of the monument - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt - and why they were chosen. They then show a great movie about these presidents and their impact on our country - very moving. As the movie concludes, they light up the monument. The ranger then returns to the stage and invites all active military, veterans, and Gold Star family members to the stage to help retire the colors and it was so moving to see all of these people come up to the stage while the audience gave a standing ovation. I must admit it was very emotional. The complex around the monument is so beautifully done - excellent visitor center and exhibits, plenty of room to walk around, a walkway surrounded by each state's flag and of course the ranger program.
The audience members who are veterans, active military or Gold Star family members on the stage. Chuck is a veteran and went up there as well.
It was a very special evening!
The next day, the four of us went to Devil's Tower National Monument located about 2.5 hours away in Wyoming - what a site! You can see it from miles away as you approach it. When we first arrived, it was raining, but it didn't last long and we were able to do the 1.6 mile hike around it. It was SO COOL.
The multiple pieces of cloth you see hanging from the trees are prayer cloths that are sacred religious offerings left by members of over 20 Native American tribes. They represent personal prayers, requests, or remembrance for ancestors. This monument has great spiritual significance to the Native Americans.
As you hike around, there are beautiful prairies and wide open spaces around the Tower.
We saw many climbers on the rocks as we walked around.
This is a good view of the massive vertical columns that this monument is known for.
After our hike, we had a nice picnic nearby and then headed back to South Dakota.
On our way back to Custer, we decided to drive through Deadwood, SD and get an ice cream. Deadwood is known for its gold rush history and has the graves of Wild West figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. I guess you could say a lot of bad behavior took place here and its history is colorful to say the least. We walked around a bit, got our ice cream and headed back to our campgrounds.
En route to Deadwood - a beautiful rainbow!
The ice cream was delish!
The next day Paul and I went to Wind Cave National Park - about a half hour south of Custer. We started with a hike through Cold Brook Canyon which took us through some Prairie Dog Towns. We then toured the Wind Cave - which was ranger led, and very interesting.
A big Prairie Dog hole/tunnel right on the trail!
The cave was very interesting and beautiful.
This feature is known as boxwork and Wind Cave contains about 95% of all known boxwork formations on Earth, making it the world's most famous and densest location for this rare feature.
While we were touring Wind Cave, we got a text from another couple from the Airstream Club who we've known since we joined the club as they are from South Florida also! Dave and Linda looked up our BRN (Big Red Number) on our rig and knew it was us! They stayed in our same campground and we invited them to join us, along with Tracy and Chuck for dinner in Custer. It was great to all get together but a little sad as Tracy and Chuck were leaving early the next morning. But that is how we Airstreamers roll - we keep moving and we know we'll see each other again down the road. Dave and Linda were staying for a few more days, so we enjoyed their company on a few fun ventures as well.
L to R: Dave, Linda, Jen, Paul, Chuck and Tracy - we are in downtown Custer and there are multiple Buffalos along the main street painted by various artists.
The next day we did some errands and got things down around the "house," and that afternoon, we picked up Dave and Linda and brought them to Mt. Rushmore. Neither of them had been before and we were excited to go back and enjoy the ranger program once again. This time, however, we drove the Iron Mountain Road which leads to Mt. Rushmore and there are 2 tunnels you go through where you see the monument in the distance once you come out. It was pretty neat. And we saw tons of Buffalo at the beginning part of the road, so that was great fun too!
Even the baby Buffaloes are huge!
Here is the first tunnel - it's hard to see, but the monument is in the distance between the trees.
Paul captured a video of us going through this first tunnel - it gives you an idea of how narrow they are and it is so cool to come out on the other side and see the monument. It's hard to see in the above photo and this video, but hope you can envision it!
There is an overlook between the tunnels where you can see it in the distance - great viewpoint.
Second tunnel - getting closer!
Linda and Dave with the monument behind them - we had perfect weather. Linda provided a lovely picnic, we bought a few beers at their cafe and enjoyed a relaxing evening before the program.
Heading towards the amphitheater and the visitor center. They have a 20-minute movie they show that tells the story of how Mt. Rushmore came to be - a great overview.
This was a photo that was in the visitor center which I found pretty wild.
The evening ranger program again - just as moving as before. It was a different ranger this time and his speech was different and just as good as the previous night. So each ranger must create their own presentation, which I found pretty interesting.
The next day, we did a few hikes in the state park - Stockade Lake and Legion Lake.
After lunch at Legion Lake Lodge, we headed south to Hot Springs (about a half hour) and visited the Mammoth Site, the world's largest mammoth research facility and a world-renowned, active indoor paleontological dig site. This was recommended to us by a ranger we met in the Custer State Park visitor center our first day. Discovered by chance in 1974 during excavation for a housing development, a climate-controlled museum building now encloses a prehistoric sinkhole where Ice Age giants waded into warm waters and became trapped. So far they have found evidence of 62 mammoths.
On our final full day in Custer, we met Dave and Linda for breakfast, visited the Custer Farmer's Market and then ran some errands during the day. That evening, we met Dave and Linda for dinner at the State Game Lodge in the state park and this place has a very cool history. As a historic 1920's resort hub located in the heart of Custer state park, it served as the Summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. President Dwight Eisenhower also visited in 1953.
We all split a HUGE cinnamon bun at breakfast - this place is a local favorite and know for their "great buns!"
Farmers market in downtown Custer
I had to throw this in - we passed the Bearded Buffalo Resort every day on our way back to our campground and I just loved this guy - he was HUGE - at least 30-40 feet high.
The State Game Lodge
We stopped by to see it en route to Mt. Rushmore a few days before and made our reservation.
Cheers - on the porch before dinner!
Well . . . if you've made it this far, thank you! As you can see, we enjoyed every moment of our time in South Dakota and all this area has to offer. Next up - Colorado! We just spent a week in Colorado Springs and are now in Ridgway - more on that in the next post.
As always, we are so grateful for following along and for your love and support - XOXO, Jen & Paul
